Imperium of Man (Mad World)
The Imperium of Man, also known simply as Man and the Manx Empire, is one of the three major intercontinental empires in Mad World. It was originally confined to the British Isles, but Ailedhoo rapidly extended its borders in competition with Mosher's Serbian Empire. It is led by Emperor Illiam II, whose obstinate diplomatic policy helped precipitate the Serbian War and its own betrayal therein, resulting in a rapid decline in power and position that culminated in a civil war. First steps The Imperium's first major diplomatic action was to pledge support to Serbia against the Society of Friends, resulting in Greek separatists hijacking a commercial ship that prompted a naval buildup in the region. Meanwhile, Manx forces began a campaign of conquest in Brazil and West Africa to site naval bases for secure shipping through the Atlantic Ocean. It attempted to negotiate a bilateral partition of India with Sweden, but Sweden contended that the Manx had enough colonies and requested they withdraw from India and Tierra del Fuego. Meanwhile, the Imperium demanded the withdrawal of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps from Australia and Panama. Following an invitation from Canada, the Imperium joined the Quadruple Entente for the purpose of expelling Serbia from North America. Serbian War and Swedish betrayal Following the resignation of Patriarch Ilija Mozherić, Serbia entered a brief period of political chaos during which the Imperium, alongside Canada and Germany, proceeded to make sweeping claims over the empire. Dragomir Danijelić was elected new Patriarch three days later and responded with an ultimatum demanding Manx withdrawal from the Levant. Illiam rejected the ultimatum, and Serbia's attempts to court Germany and Iraq into an alliance against the Imperium failed. With Canadian forces committed to enforcing the Entente's petition plan for America, war was now inevitable. Into the fray emerged the first rebellion against the Manx. Scotland declared independence under the self-styled king James XIII. Soon afterward, Serbian forces began combat operations against the Manx in contested territories. Illiam brokered an alliance with Germany for the purpose of flanking Serbia in the Mediterranean, but the Manx fleet was routed (and its commander, the Doge of Wales captured) at the Strait of Gibraltar and the Germans suffered a crippling setback when a salient into Bosnia failed. As part of an informal alliance with Sweden, the Imperium declared war on the Socialist Republic of Chavezland, which had emerged around the time of Manx expansion in Brazil and had already declared its intent to expel the Europeans by force. Immediately following the start of the campaign, however, Sweden revealed it had baited the Manx and was in fact allied with Chavezland. Sweden proceeded to launch a joint strike through contested Brazilian territory that captured Princess Ranhilda, heir to the throne, who was one of the combat pilots. At the same time, it executed an ambitious series of naval landings in Britain itself, while the Indian frontier degenerated into a free-for-all. The Commonwealth of New England mobilized to support the Manx in America; it initially requested control of Manx designated holdings under the original Entente petition, although this was quickly withdrawn. At the start of September, Germany abruptly collapsed, randomly partitioning its territories between various countries that granted the Manx a temporary foothold on the continent. Sweden extended its alliance to Serbia, Iraq, and Georgia; while the Georgians began mobilizing for war, they did not issue a formal declaration and the Manx did not attempt a pre-emptive strike. Catalonia also crafted a strategic alliance against the Manx in exchange for a peace settlement in their own conflict, although the Catalans secretly indicated they intended to resume hostilities afterward. Illiam lobbied for support from Japan, but its calls were never answered. Vaillant Conference and Civil War Canada, one of the only powers still committed to fighting the Serbs, called an international diplomatic conference onboard the aircraft carrier [[NFC Vaillant|NFC Vaillant]]. It attempted to forge a global consensus on defeating Serbia by negotiating peace between the Imperium and its rivals, but Illiam's stubborn refusal to consider concessions prevented the conference from making any headway, and the death of Prime Minister Gauthier on September 11 led to rapid softening of Canadian foreign policy and a sue for peace with the Serbs. During these deliberations, growing internal dissatisfaction with Illiam's leadership in the war spurred ambitious nobles and national separatists to launch a series of simultaneous but largely disconnected power grabs, triggering the Manx Civil War. While overseas power rapidly disintegrated, on the home front Manx forces were able to blunt the Swedish-Scots advance. On 18 September, Sweden asserted the upper hand and attempted to begin peace negotiations, but Illiam again refused any suggestion of surrender. As the war dragged on, the Cornish rebels under Duchess Ysbal, facing their own multi-front war with Serbia and its newest ally Deadpoolistan, began devising an assassination plot against Illiam to bring the conflict to early closure. Meanwhile in East Asia, Korean insurgents began combat operations against the Japanese and Manx; the Imperial Japanese Colony, having been entirely neglected during the course of the war, defected to the Cornwallites. Effectively devoid of international support and facing renewed offensives by the Swedes and their allies, Manx forces deployed chemical weapons on the British front lines. Category:Countries Category:Mad World